Morocco cruise past Kenya to go top of Group A in WAFCON 2026 opener

Hosts Morocco made a dream start to their TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2026 campaign with a commanding victory over Kenya in their opening Group A fixture at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Sunday.

The Atlas Lionesses delivered a clinical performance in front of their home fans, with Ibtissam Jraidi scoring twice, while Sakina Ouzraoui and Meriem Atiq also found the net in an emphatic display.

The victory moved Jorge Vilda's side to the top of Group A on goal difference, ahead of Algeria, who also opened their campaign with a win over Senegal earlier on Sunday.

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For Kenya, who were making their first appearance at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in 10 years, it was a difficult return against one of the tournament favourites.

Morocco wasted little time asserting their authority, controlling possession, pressing aggressively and creating chances from the opening whistle.

Kenya initially defended well but eventually cracked in the 20th minute when Sakina Ouzraoui calmly slotted home after finding space inside the penalty area to give the hosts a deserved lead.

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The Atlas Lionesses doubled their advantage eight minutes later through Meriem Atiq, who powered in a superb header from a corner to leave Kenya with a mountain to climb.

Morocco maintained their pressure, and Ibtissam Jraidi scored a third goal before half-time with another well-executed header, concluding a dominant opening 45 minutes.

The three-goal cushion effectively put the contest beyond Kenya's reach before the interval.

Morocco resumed the second half with the same intensity and extended their lead just two minutes after the restart.

Jraidi grabbed her second goal of the evening with a composed finish, completing her brace and putting the result beyond any doubt.

The experienced forward once again underlined her importance to Morocco's ambitions of winning a first-ever WAFCON title after finishing runners-up in each of the previous two editions.

With victory secured, coach Jorge Vilda rotated his squad, introducing fresh players while allowing key stars to rest ahead of tougher fixtures.

Although Morocco continued to dominate possession, the tempo slowed in the closing stages as Kenya focused on preventing further damage.

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The convincing victory sees Morocco top Group A with three points and a superior goal difference over Algeria.

Algeria occupies second place after defeating Senegal, while Senegal sits third and Kenya remains bottom following the opening round of matches.

Attention now turns to Thursday's highly anticipated clash between Morocco and Algeria, with both teams looking to strengthen their grip on qualification for the knockout stage.

Kenya, meanwhile, must bounce back quickly against Senegal in a crucial fixture that could determine their chances of progressing.

Beyond the continental title, the expanded 16-team WAFCON 2026 tournament serves as a qualification pathway for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

The four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the global tournament, while two losing quarter-finalists will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.